Welcome Adventurous Readers! It's always reading time at The Ugly Frog (tm)! I mostly read classic literature and have been continually since 2016. That's a LOT of classic literature. If you were hoping for a blog about contemporary books you are certainly in the wrong place. Prior to 2016, say from roughly 2006 to 2016, I focused mainly on reading world history. I also read a lot of ecology and lately many many research articles on freshwater microscopic ecology as that is a passion of mine to research, write, observe and educate the public about. Being of Buddhist leanings, I also read about buddhism from time to time as well some history here and there. Here I will share my thoughts on the classic literature that I read. It is one of my ways of travel along both the space and time continuums without traveling. I highly recommend it!

If you are interested in seeing the classics I have read since the fall of 2016 you can see
the complete list here. You can see the page from 2023 reading time here: 2023 Reading Time

15 January 2026 Update: It has been a while. A while indeed. I certainly have been preoccupied with the bookshop and it's growing bookworm community and all the events to manage my blog as well. I apologize for that but priorities, right? Well here is an update on the book I literally just finished, "Hour of the Witch" by Chris Bohjalian. It, incidentally is the current book club book at my bookshop. The gatherings on it are not until February so if you want to read it, you have time to get a copy and read it for then for sure. It is a really quick read. Now my thoughts on it:

Well first a little primer of what it is about without spoilers because that would not be good. Although, if you are planning on reading the book for book club, I urge you NOT to continue reading because you do not my thoughts to influence or cloud yours and you might make inferences which could be spoilers so just stop reading now if you plan on reading it for the bookclub. The book is a fictional work but based in the time of the Salem Witch Trials; however, it was not set in Salem but obviously nearby. The book's main character is the wife of a very abusive husband; she decides to do what any victim of such abuse both physically and mentally; however, the trial and the peoples and the magistrate's views are tained by the witch craze. Further, her position is hampered because she is a woman and well her personality is more manly than it should be for some, and those, men, feel threatened by that. The instruments of witchcraft in this book were three pronged forks imported by her father. Dost thou have three tined forks in thy house? DO YOU? haha. Anyway that is all I am going relate to give you an idea of what the book is about, to hopefully inspire you to read it, because it was really good.

What I liked about the book? I liked the main character's personality. I liked her temerity, her resourcefulness, her sarcasm. I liked its portrayal of how the trial was impacted by the difference as to how women are treated in terms of marriage and society at the time and in that hyper-religious culture. I enjoyed comparing in my mind, it with The Crucible and other books I read as to Salem Witch Trials including the book "Witches" and "Delusions of Satan." Each with slightly different rationalles for why the witch craze in Salem occurred in the first place. I liked this book in how it really put into light that that crazy impacted other aspects of life. Here, because it really enabled and emboldened the abusive husband. Absent the craze, perhaps he would not have got away with it the extent he did. About him, in him the author created a character you will hate. A vile character. Fear in a society can cause all kinds of negative effects (we saw that during the fear of Covid in 2020). Mix that with any kind of fanatasism and it is a concoction for evils in society. Here, for Mary, it had torturous effects. Being an attorney, I enjoyed the legal aspect about it and how it portrayed the trials in her case. I also enjoyed considering how marriage/divorce laws differ today vs then and how they might be changed today or in the future. Great discussion possibilities on that topic from this book. I am curious about what others think of her parents as they dealt with the situation. Their behaviors also were coloured by the times of fanatasism and fear (as were everyone's). The book at the end of each chapter had a little quote from each of the trials and I thought that was clever and unique. I really enjoyed the ending. It was not an ending I predicted or thought it would be. There is much to enjoy about this book, I definitely recommend adding it to your shelf if you enjoy reading about the salem witch trials, historical fiction, or even mysteries because there was a tad of mystery to it as well woven throughout it. The author's writing style is very good, very easy to read.

There is nothing really I did not like about the book. This time I even blended listening to the audio book (while driving) and reading which sped up my finishing of it. The audio book has a GREAT narrator and I enjoyed the chapters I listened to in that as well! Well those are my thoughts on it. Thank you for popping by.

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24 February 2025 Update: This year I have finished so far Don Quixote for the 2nd Time reading it as it is my absolute favorite of all time and still is. In the middle of reading it, I took a little 1926 Diversion and read the book "The Chinese Parrot" by Earl Derr Biggers, which was a mystery. It was a really enjoyable book to mix it up. If you want to take an adventure to find out who is trying to steal or otherwise get an expensive pearl necklace and like a murder mystery, etc. It was a good one. It is part of a series, but you can read it as a stand alone book I found. Now, most recently I finished reading Willa Cather's "My Antonia" which was first published in 1918 and took place in Nebraska. Here are my thoughts and questions for thought on that book. I am considering putting it into my favorites of all time but am going to wait until I have read a few more classics this year to decide. There really wasn't anything I didn't like about the book. I highly highkly recommend it, if you want to experience life in Nebraska and with Bohemian immigrants, Russian Immigrants, Swedish Immigrants and Norwegian Immigrants as well. Here are My Thoughts on My Antonia. Welcome back!



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In the first week of March 2025, I finished reading "Kidnapped" by Robert Louis Stevenson. My thoughts on it are here. I will update more on it later when I can consult my notes. My Thoughts on Kidnapped. Like "My Antonia" this is a quick read so I am guessing if you are a swift reader you could finish this in a matter of 3 to 4 days.

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I finished reading Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak on 7 April 2025. My thoughts on it are shared HERE! Along with some discussion / thought questions inspired by my reading of it.

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I finished reading The Secret Garden on 15 April 2025. My thoughts on it are My Thoughts on The Secret Garden. Happy reading. Next up is "The Count of Monte Cristo" by Alexandre Dumas. Join me?